Inspiration as Motivation

A good way to combat depression, anxiety or just plain laziness is to get inspired.

For example, I bought the house I live in because of its architecture, space and charm. However, it also came with a large yard and garden that, while would be considered an asset to most, seemed like a big hassle to me. I did not have the money to hire someone else to take care of this garden and I didn't want it to look bad but I was not motivated to take care of it. Then one day I rented a docudrama about Claude Monet. Being an artist I had always admired his work, especially his paintings of his garden in Giverny. Watching his life's story unfold in dramatic fashion and seeing how he lovingly and expertly created the garden that he would spend his later years painting awakened me to the fact that gardening could be an artistic endeavor. Suddenly my garden was not a burden to me but an opportunity to express myself. I was inspired and that spring I happily spent countless hours learning about and working in my garden.

As was the case with my garden, inspiration usually happens accidentally or incidentally but when you have a mood disorder it is more difficult to just stumble upon inspiration. Instead, you need to have a plan to actively seek it.

The first step in the plan is to write down anything you can think of that you would like to get inspired about. It could be something that you used to love to do or it can be something you know you should do but that you are avoiding for some reason. It does not have to be an ambitious endeavor. In fact, for severely depressed people it might be something that other people take for granted like just taking a shower or a bath.

After you have made your list, try to think of someone or something that exemplifies this task or endeavor or adds an inspiring element to it. In the case of my garden, this was Claude Monet. If you are trying to get inspired about taking a bath, your inspiration may be aromatherapy or one of the many cultures who revere bathing as a spiritual ritual.

Once you have found your inspiration then find a way to spend time with it. In my case it was watching a movie. Simply doing an Internet search can turn up all kinds of inspiring information or you can get a book from the library or just use your imagination. This can seem like a difficult task in itself at first but at least it is getting you to focus on something other than your depression or lethargy. If it seems overwhelming to you just commit to doing this for five minutes at a time.

Most importantly, just keep trying. If you can't get inspired about one thing on your list, just move on to the next thing. Sooner or later you will find the inspiration, motivation and momentum you need to make life exciting and meaningful for you again.